They're Alive?
by AnimeAddict1059
Summary: James and Lily didn't die. They went to an adults gathering when Voldemort attacked. Dumbledore took Harry away from them after he defeated Voldemort and told the couple that their son perished with the Dark Lord. Harry was left with the Dursleys, knowing that his parents died in a car crash. What will happen when he gets his Hogwarts letter? Will fate try and reunite their family?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It has been almost ten years since Harry Potter was dropped off at the Dursley's doorstep. Since then, Harry was put to the cupboard under the stairs for the rest of his life. Ever since then, Harry's life was filled with misery. Not a day goes by that he isn't pinched by his cousin Dudley or beaten up by his Aunt or Uncle. There wasn't a single spot on his skin/body that wasn't covered in cuts, bruises or scars from the beatings he got from his Uncle. However, today was going to be a surprisingly odd day.

Harry has just stepped out of his cupboard when he was again pushed back in by his cousin, Dudley. Dudley laughed at him for a while and waddled to the kitchen, leaving Harry stuck at the cupboard. Moments later, his Aunt came to call him and told him to get his ungrateful behind to the kitchen to cook breakfast. Harry quickly made his way to the kitchen and greeted his uncle with a good morning but Uncle Vernon just shouted at Harry telling him to comb his hair, which was his way of a morning greeting. Just then, Harry's eyes strayed to the pile of gifts (which were Dudley's) and thought they might contain Dudley's new racing bike, VCR, computer, computer games, and the video camera he always asked his parents for. Harry went back to the bacon he was cooking. Minutes later, Aunt Petunia and Dudley came into the kitchen with her covering Dudley's eyes.

"Well? Isn't it wonderful sweetums?"she said after removing her hands.

"How many are there?"Dudley asked.

"Thirty-six!" answered his father cheerfully, "Counted them myself."

Dudley's face fell."Thirty-six?"

"You forgot to count your Aunt Marge's present. It's under the big one from mummy and daddy."Petunia said.

"Alright. Thirty-seven."Dudley grumbled. Harry saw a tantrum coming on so he began wolfing down his breakfast in case Dudley turned the table over. Petunia must have saw it coming too because she said quickly."And we'll buy you two new presents. How's that popkin?"

"So I'll have thirty….thirty….." Dudley said slowly. He actually looked like he was in pain.

"Thirty-nine, sweetums."Petunia said sweetly.

"Oh…"Dudley said and grabbed a nearby parcel.

Harry sighed in relief when he realized that Dudley was calm for now. He downed his glass of water in one gulp and proceeded to wash the dishes. Then he went outside to do some weeding, as his aunt had told him to do countless of times before. It was almost his morning routine.

He positioned himself in front of some flowerbeds and started searching for weeds. While he was picking out some, his thoughts drifted off to his life so far.

He was almost eleven years old. That meant that it was almost ten years since he was dropped off on his Aunt and Uncle's doorstep. He asked his relatives about the reason why his parents weren't there and they bluntly said that they were dead and they were never going to come back for him. That he should just accept his fate and get on with his chores.

They said that they died in a car crash but Harry did not believe them. How did a blinding green light and a malicious fit of laughter fit in to a car crash?

Harry shrugged and pulled out the last of the weeds. At least his Aunt and Uncle were sending him off to a boarding school in secondary school. The only problem is his allowance. He doubted the Dursleys would provide him with anything. He was sure that they would expect him to get a job.

_"I think I can find a job…"_

Harry looked up from the flowerbed and he saw a sudden distortion from the space near the tree. For a minute, Harry thought that someone had been there. But then, he reminded himself, that it might just be him getting dizzy from the smell of pesticides and pollen.

* * *

"Boy! Get the ruddy mail!" UncleVernon barked over breakfast. Harry left his place in the corner of the kitchen and went to the door. He picked up the stack of letters on the floor and cycled through them. He knew nothing in there would be of interest to him but it was just his curiousity that kept him shuffling the letters in his hands.

He eventually found his way to the very last one and his heart stopped when he saw who it was addressed to.

_Mr. H. Potter_

_The Cupboard Under the Stairs_

_4 Privet Drive_

_Little Whinging_

_Surrey_

Harry's heart seemed to have started to work again but it was beating quickly and was hammering inside his chest, it almost felt like it would burst out at any given minute.

He looked around if anyone was looking at him, which was unlikely, since everyone else in the house were in the kitchen. He drew a shaky breath and turned his attention back to the letter in his hands. With shaking hands, he flipped it over and saw a red stamp with a letter 'H' on it with a lion, a snake, a badger, and an eagle.

Harry was beginning to panic now. He had no friends at school. He didn't have relatives. He wasn't involved in any clubs that might send him oficial looking letters like this. And this certainly wasn't from the library because, even if they did send letters like this, he never did anything to them. He never borrowed a book from them, let alone read one.

"Hurry up with the mail boy!" Uncle Vernon barked from the kitchen.

It startled Harry out of his thoughts and he quickly arranged the Dursleys' letters in one hand and he held the letter adressed to him with the other. He made a stop on his cupboard and slipped the letter under the cot that he slept in, then proceeded to the kitchen.

"About time when you arrive!" Vernon told him when he placed the letters on the table. He didn't say anything to him and retreated to the sink where a mountainous pile of dishes waited for him. After doing the dishes, he did his chores and a few additional ones from his aunt every now and then while Dudley kept throwing small stones at him.

Harry didn't pay much attention to his mounting exhaustion as he only had the thought of his letter occupying his mind.

After nightfall, when he was finally allowed to go inside, he immediately went inside his cupboard, not even bothering to eat dinner which consisted of a few slices of bread and cheese.

He groped under the bed for his letter and once he found it, he opened it and read,

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE _

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc.,Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards')_

_Dear Mr. Potter_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Harry sat there, shocked at the letter's contents. What is this? Is this the Dursley's idea of a prank? If it was, then it was not funny at all.

Witchcraft.

Wizardy.

Wizards...

He's a...

He felt dizzy as he reread the letter again and again. After he felt like he had had enough of the piece of parchment, he peeked inside the other contents inside the envelope. He found the list about the requirements and it was really LONG!

Harry made up his mind this was all just a joke when he saw the words, 'wand', broomstick' and 'spellbooks' on the list. This is all so stupid...

He was about to throw the letter into a trash bin when a last piece of parchment fell out of the envelope. He picked it up and read it.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_We understand your predicament and we, the Hogwarts staff, will help you with all your educational needs as well as your expenses, understanding that you are an orphan. _

_We treat children like you with this gift. We will purchase all of your belongings with the school's fund and all we ask of you is to be serious in your studies._

_A teacher will come by and fetch you this coming weekend. Please be prepared by nine o'clock in the morning._

_Sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

_Headmaster_

Harry stared at the letter.

They were prepared to pay for his education and buy his requirements! And what's more, they were having somebody to come and meet him this weekend!

* * *

James Potter smiled as his beautiful red headed wife came to join him at the table. He sipped his coffee quietly as he watched her flip through the pages of her notebook.

Lily looked up from the notebook and noticed James' stare. She smiled at him and continued to flip through her notebook.

"Lily, relax. We've still got a month till the term starts. We'll be starting the lessons with reviews, anyway." James said to his wife.

Lily didn't look up at him when she answered. "I know. But it can't hurt to be prepared right?"

James didn't reply and instead, kept sipping on his coffee mug. They were teachers at Hogwarts. Lily was a Charms teacher for the first to third years while Flitwick taught the higher years and he was a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher... partly. He was mostly just a subsitute to the DAD teachers but he still lived at the castle with his wife during the school year. McGonagall, being a close friend of theirs, offered them their position at Hogwarts, to keep their mind off of... Harry.

James rubbed his face with his palms and sighed. Thinking about his son was always so painful.

Lily looked up when she heard him sigh. "Something wrong, sweetheart?"

"Hm?" James said. "It's nothing. Just..."

The rest of his sentence faded away when he saw Lily staring straight into his eyes. She always made him felt like he was being x-rayed whenever she looked like that. Yep, he knew what an x-ray was. Lily taught him.

James tried looking away from her beautiful emeral orbs and stared at the floor. Lily got up from her seat and went towards him. She placed her arms around his neck from behind his chair and asked again, "What is it?"

James sighed again and tried not to look into her eyes. "It's... I'm thinking about... about... _him_."

Lily's eyes widened and her grip on James's shoulders loosened.

"I'm sorry..." James said as he stroked his wife's hands. Unshed tears glistened in her eyes as she stared at the back of his head. If it was painful for James to remember their only child, then it was torture for Lily.

She blamed herself everyday and for a year after that Halloween night, she cried almost every night for their sweet little boy, while clutching his old clothes that still smelled like him. It tore his heart when he saw her in that state.

He tried convincing her to try and have another but she refused. Even up to this day, she still grieves for Harry.

And yet, James couldn't stop himself from saying, "It's been ten years... he would have been eleven by the end of the month..."

The tears that Lily held back streamed down her face as she buried her face into her husband's neck and sobbed. James stroked her hair.

"He would've been old enough to go to Hogwarts..." James said. He hated himself for doing so, as he was only adding more pain to his wife's suffering.

Lily clutched him tightly as she cried onto him. James murmured soft words to her as he stroked her hair again and again.

"It's... it's not fair..." she sobbed.

"I know... I know..." James murmured.

"He... he was-he was too y-young... it's not f-fair..."

"I know..." James repeated and he hugged Lily tightly. "I'm sorry for bringing this up..."

Lily sniffled and buried her head in his shoulders.

"I'm so sorry..."

And James looked up. _I'm so sorry Harry... I failed you.._

He then kissed the top of his wife's head and stroked her hair but this time, he couldn't stop the tear that escaped from his eye...

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry guys! Just couldn't help it. One idea keeps popping up after the other and I just had to share this with you guys!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Albus Dumbledore stared at the door opposite to his desk.

He was in very deep thought. Most were about the school, some about Fudge's annoying letters, and the one that he was currently worrying about, was Harry Potter. Ten years ago, he devised a plan. It was perfect.

He would take the boy away from the Wizarding World, where he would be long revered as the Boy-Who-Lived. The one who vanquished Voldemort. He would be showered with adoration and glory. No doubt all of that would get to a child's head. Of course, he trusted Lily to keep the boy in line. But his father, however, would be a different story, him being an only child to the richest couple in the Wizarding World. And if he would ask them to go into hiding again, to keep Harry from interacting with witches and wizards, he doubted that they would agree. James was restless after only six months in hiding. He would never survive ten more years.

No. He took the boy and gave him to his relatives. Being muggles, he would have no trouble in having magical people come by. And since Petunia Dursley was Lily's sister, she would no doubt, care for Harry as her own. And he even took it further, by lying in the letter that he sent to them, saying that Harry's parents perished in Voldemort's attack. Surely they would take sympathy on the poor boy.

Then there came his parents. They went back to their place immediately after the wards went off. But they were too late. He had already sent Harry to Little Whinging and he had already devised a story. He told them that Harry died along with Voldemort, so as to keep them from searching for him and bringing him back to their World.

Now came the hard part in his plan.

This school year, Harry Potter would come to attend his first year in Hogwarts. His parents were here too, no thanks to Minerva, who offered them jobs here. He originally planned to tell them the truth when he comes back but he would be under Lily's wrath, having kept an important part of her from her for so long

If he _would_ tell them, Lily and James would take out their anger on him. He might be a powerful wizard, but even he, trembles under a mother's wrath. He knew he made them suffer but he what's done is done. He had already made plans for Harry. He believed that Voldemort couldn't be dead yet. He needed to train him and tell him about his Horcruxes. He needs this knowledge to defeat Voldermort when he comes back.

But if the Potters would find out the truth, they would try and take him away from him. Then he'd never get to train him and he'd never know about the secret to killing Voldemort. He couldn't entrust this task to anyone else because once everyone finds out, it's not only the Potters and the rest of the Marauders who would turn on him, but the entire Order.

No. It'd be a disaster. The Wizarding World would be doomed.

He had to think of something. Anything. What should he do?

Then an idea came to him.

'What if I lie further?' Albus thought to himself. He pulled out a book from one of his nearby shelves and opened it. He flipped through the pages until he came across a page that had what he needed.

_'Perfect... this spell would do the trick.'_

* * *

Harry Potter looked at the clock on the wall for the fifteenth time that day. It was nearing nine o'clock. He didn't know why but he was setting out hope for the man or woman that would come for him. Ever since he was younger, he had always dreamed about an unknown relative who would come and take him away from the Dursleys. But now, since that was actually happening, he felt nauseous.

What if all of it wasn't real? What if it was just a prank. It already seemed like that for the entire day. For once, the Dursleys didn't want him to work on anything. They just told him to stay out of their way. It was all so... weird. And it had 'Harry's getting pranked' written all over it.

But the letter looked so real. He can't help but hope for the stranger to come.

He looked at the clock again and he saw that he had five minutes till nine. He ran towards the door and swung it open. His eyes swept over the sidewalk, looking for signs that someone was approaching.

Nothing...

Harry checked back inside and looked at the clock. It was nine. He went back outside and his heart leaped up to his throat. There, by the sidewalk of the ever so neat and proper Privet Drive, was a humongous man, and although he didn't quite believe it, he looked about twice as huge as his Uncle.

He cautiously walked towards the man and looked up at his face. He seemed to be kind. His beetle black eyes said so.

"Um... hello..." Harry greeted.

The man looked at him and smiled warmly. "Well 'ello, little feller! Ye Harry?"

"Y-Yes..."

The man laughed. "Righ'. Me name's Hagrid. Rubeus Hagrid! I'll be takin' ye to Diagon Alley to ge' your supplies."

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Yep. We 'ave ter get ter London first, if you don' mind travelin'" Hagrid answered.

"No. I... I don't mind really." Harry told him. Hagrid beamed at him and started rummaging through his coat, which seemed to be nothing but pockets, and pulled out a vial half-filled with a creamy white liquid.

" 'Ere. Drink this." he told him.

Harry eyed the glass container warily. "W-What's that?"

"Oh this? It's nothin'. It won' hurt ye. Just somethin' to get yer magic runnin. It's hasn' been used fer a long time righ'? You being raised in the Muggle World an' all. That's what Dumbledore told me, anyway." Hagrid said, handing him the vial.

Harry tentatively accepted it. What if it was a drug? Or poison? He looked at Hagrid again and he nodded at him encouragingly. Oh well. He gulped and drank the contents of the vial. It took effect almost immediately and he only swallowed only half of it. The other half was spilled on the driveway.

His vision became blurry and his head pounded. It was so painful. His thoughts became jumbled up and he felt himself fall down. A strong hand pulled him back up and Harry shook his head, trying to clear his head. He accomplished it a few moments later.

"Ye alrigh' Harry?" Hagrid asked him.

"Yeah... I just..." he blinked and tried to recollect his thoughts. Then he remembered everthing.

Oh, right! He was going shopping for his school supplied with Hagrid. His Aunt Julie and Uncle David gave him permission! He even played a game of catch with his cousin Will before leaving. He must have been hit by his ball when Hagrid came. Now he remembered!

Wait... that seemed wrong... his aunt was... P-Pe...

...Pe...

No. His aunt was named... Julie... and his Uncle was Ver... no, David.

"Urgh..."

"Right Harry! Let's go!"

Hagrid grabbed his hand and they walked down the steet, out of Privet Drive.

Meanwhile, the Dursleys were looking at each other in a daze. Their memories jumbled up and replaced.

* * *

"James!" Lily called from the sitting room. Her husband came in after a few minutes.

"Yes, love?" He asked her.

Lily looked through the contest of the box in front of her before turning to him. "We need more potion ingredients. And I need more books."

"Um..."

"James!" Lily cried shrilly.

"Right! Right!" he said, scratching the back of his head. "Erm... Lils, don't you think you're being a bit... I mean, the term's not gonna start until a month from now. Don't you think you should take it easy?"

"No. I need to make my lesson plan and and do more research and do advance notes..." then Lily started listing off some more jobs she had to do. James tuned her out for the most part.

"Alright! Alright. We'll go." he finally said. "I have to pick up my broom anyway."

"Why? What happened to your broom?" Lily asked. She never heard anything about her husband's broom being broken.

"Nothing. Nothing. It sorta... got broken...? After I played Quidditch with Sirius?"

Lily sighed. "Forget I asked..."

"Right..."

James grabbed the pot filled with floo powder and handed it to his wife. Lily accepted it and threw some into the fire

* * *

"Righ' then Harry... I've got some things I need ter be doin. Real importan' business, mind. Here. You bes' trot to Flourish and Blotts an' ge' yer school books. I'll meet up with ye then." Hagrid said as he handed a sack filled with money to Harry.

"Erm... I don't..." Harry started to say.

"Don' worry. Just ask someone in the shop fer firs' year material..." Hagrid told him and he walked off.

"Hey! Hey! Wait!" Harry called after him. But it was too late. Hagrid was gone. "Great. How am I supposed to find a bookstore when this is my first time here?"

Harry tucked the sack into the small shoulder bag that he brought along and started to look around. He passed by a few shops, though none of them seemed to sell books.

Quidditch...

Wands... hey. I need one. But Hagrid said I should go to the bookstore.

Daily Prophet...

Ice cream...

Potions... hey, I'll need to go there...

Flourish and Blotts. Bingo!

Harry ran towards the direction of the shop snd pushed the door open. He was immediately greeted by the sight of lots of people. He tried looking around for a staff member but no one seemed to be near the entrance at the moment. He decided to dive into the crowd and pushed his way through. He found himself on the Housekeeping section. He looked around again. There were only a few people in this section. Harry tried walking away and finding the shelves marked with the subjects he wanted.

"Excuse me, may I help you?"

Harry jumped up in surprise and quickly turned around to face the owner of the voice. It was one of the female staff. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Erm... I'm looking for first year books..."

The woman smiled at him and led him towards the shelves on the other side of the shop. Harry thanked her when he found the bookshelves marked with the subjects he was looking for. He started looking around and picking up the books he needed.

"Right. That's Charms... what else?" He consulted his list. "Hm... Potions... Potions..." He looked up from his list and searched for the potions section. He found it a minute later and looked for his book in one of the shelves.

"Where...?" Harry muttered to himself as he walked along the shelves, never taking his eyes off the spine covers.

"Where is that-Omph!"

*crash"

"Ow..." Harry groaned as he pulled himself up.

"Oh my! I'm so sorry!"

"No... No. It's okay. I..." Harry looked up and was met with concerned emerald green eyes.

"I..."

"Are you hurt?" asked the woman in front of him.

"No. I... I'm okay..." Harry said as he dusted himself off, his eyes never leaving the woman in front of him. "Have I... seen you before...?" He asked as he took in her features once again.

"I doubt that, young man. Unless you've been a student of mine. My name's Lily Potter."

* * *

**A/N: **And that's a wrap! Sorry. I just had to give you guys something, what with all those reviews you gave me! This is the explanation and the meddling part. Hogwarts will come later on!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"I'm Lily Potter..." Lily said as she dusted off her clothes. She still wasn't quite sure how she ended up on the floor when she was just looking at the books on the shelf in front of her. She yelped in surprise when someone bumped into her and she landed on the floor with a thud. She looked at her assaulter and saw that it was only a little boy.

He had jet black hair that was rather untidy, probably from the fall, and he was very skinny... and small. He was wearing glasses and the light from the lamps around them would often reflect on the lens so she had no idea what his eyes looked like.

"I'm so sorry..." Lily said again.

The boy dusted off his clothes and looked up at her. "No. I told you. It's fine. I'm okay."

Lily smiled at him. She didn't know why but she felt light and happy around this boy. The boy, as if sensing her thoughts, looked at her and gave her a half smile. She helped him collect the books he had in his hands before they bumped into each other. She gave him the books back and he gratefully accepted them.

"Thanks!" he said. He arranged the books in his arms and flashed her a smile. Lily caught sight of his emerald orbs behind his glasses before he walked off. Lily stood rooted to the spot. Emerald eyes... just like... mine...

"Wait!" She called after him. "What's your name?!"

But the boy was no longer there.

Lily frowned and her face twisted into looks of confusion, anger, and sadness. Did Harry's ghost appear right before her? She shook her head. No. It's just a boy who happens to have black hair and green eyes. There's nothing unusual about that. With this in mind she walked off, but not before wiping off the tears that had formed in her eyes.

* * *

Harry stared at his list again to make sure that he had everything he needed. Satisfied when he checked his books again, he went up to the counter to pay for them. The man behind the counter looked rather busy and he was mumbling things under his breath when he placed the books on the counter. He looked over the books and it totaled up to fifty-seven galleons, fifteen sickles, and nine knuts.

Harry's eyebrows shot up when the man asked him for the money.

"Right... er..." he said nervously as he pulled out the sack from the inside of his bag. He looked into its contest and his eyes widened when he saw hundreds of coins there. Gold ones, silver ones, bronze ones, he didn't know what to do. "Erm..."

The man, it seemed had become impatient with him.

"Sir, may you please hand over the money. You are not the only customer here." he said rudely.

"Er... right..." Harry said and looked into the sack again. How am I going to do this?

"Hey, Jones! Something up? That's quite a line you got there." barked a voice from behind Harry. Harry whipped around and saw a man with long curly locks of black hair and kind, grey eyes walk towards them. He was wearing black wizard robes too, and by the looks of it, he probably came from a family with a high status.

"Black! Old dog! I thought I'd never see you come back here again. You always hated books." Jones said as he saw the man approach.

"That I did! I was gonna pick something up for my best mate." Black replied. He saw Harry looking worriedly at the money sack in his hands and at Jones. "What's the problem here?"

Jones' friendly attitude disappeared. "This little kid is holding up the line."

Black turned his attention to Harry and his eyes widened a little when he took in the boy's appearance.

"Black? You alright there?"

"Hm? Oh! Er... Yes." Black replied and went over to the kid. "Hey. What seems to be the problem little fella? You've got a lot of gold there. It's enough to buy ten more sets of books AND an enormous bookcase."

Harry looked at him for a while, contemplating if whether or not he should trust the man. "Erm... I... I don't know what these are called." he said, gesturing to the coins inside.

Black smiled at him and taught him about the value of each coin. Harry nodded at him after his explanation and reached into the sack to pull out fifty-eight gold coins. Jones sniffed approvingly after he counted the money and waved his wand at the books. The books wrapped themselves up in brown paper neatly and floated gently into a bag. Then it flew over to Harry.

"Whoa..."

Black chuckled at his amazement. "Don't forget the change." he reminded him.

"Oh. Right! Thanks mister!" Harry said to him and accepted the coins. He placed them inside the money sack and trotted off after saying goodbye to the nice man.

"It was nice meeting you kid." Black said as he waved after him. Harry waved back and made his way outside the store.

As expected, Hagrid was already there. He had a brown package in his hands and a cage that held a snowy white owl. Harry approached him, gently pushing through the crowd around him. He had a bit of a difficult time pushing them off but he managed to get to the half-giant.

"Hello Hagrid." he greeted after catching his breath.

Hagrid beamed at him. "Harry, you didn' tell me today wos yer birthday! I just go' a letter from Professor Dumbledore an' he said it wos yer birthday! 'Ere. I go' you this."

Hagrid gave him the package in his left hand and the cage with the owl. Harry stared at him with his mouth open. He didn't know why, but he was feeling very overwhelmed right now. It wasn't like his Aunt Julie and Uncle David didn't give him presents every year. They even went out of their way once when they bought him a new bicycle. Sadly, it broke after his cousin accidentally crashed it in their neighbor's backyard. But the nagging feeling that all of it was false came again, just like when he left for London with Hagrid.

"Thank you Hagrid... thank you..." Harry whispered hoarsely, wiping a stray tear from his eyes. What was happening? It was almost like this was the first time that he ever received a gift.

"Yer welome, Harry." Hagrid said, patting his shoulder, which made Harry's knees buckle. "We bes' ge' your other supplies, eh? We don' have all day after all."

Harry nodded and followed Hagrid through the thick crowd. They went from shop to shop, purchasing the other items on his list. Eventually, they came to the last one, which was a wand. Harry couldn't contain his excitement when they slowly stepped inside the ancient looking shop. Ever since they arrived in Diagon Alley, all he could think about was magic and what kind of things he might do if he had a wand. Now, he was practically bouncing off the soles of his feet.

They waited for a few minutes for the shopkeeper. Harry didn't know if he should be happy that the shopkeeper, Mr. Ollivander, was immediately pulling out wands for him to try out, or he should be freaked out by the way he looked at him.

"Harry, d'you mind if I step outside a little? The place is gettin' a little cramped with me in it." Hagrid whispered in Harry's ear. Harry was a bit startled of the idea of Hagrid leaving him alone. But then again, he was feeling a bit suffocated.

He nodded at Hagrid and he left the shop.

Mr. Ollivander came back and gave him wand after wand after wand. Nothing seemed to fit him right. Finally, when all of the wands ran out, Ollivander went to the back of the shop and inspected a dusty old shelf filled with narrow wand boxes. He decided on one and pulled it out. He came back to Harry and slowly opened the box then reluctantly handed it over to the boy.

"Here. I was a bit reluctant to give this to you at first, Mr. Potter, but I believe that there is no other choice but this." he said mysteriously.

"Erm..." Harry gulped nervously. How the heck did Mr. Ollivander know his name?

He gave the wand a swish and warmth spread throughout his entire body. Sparks flew out of the tip of the wand that he was holding and formed a nice firework-like display.

"Incredible!" Mr. Ollivander exclaimed.

Harry smiled widely at the performance that he'd somehow pulled off.

"Incredible!" Mr. Ollivander said again. He was gazing at the remnants of the sparks that had once decorated the air around him. "I knew it... you're certainly him..."

This was news to Harry. "Sorry?" he asked.

Mr. Ollivander turned to look at him. "You're him, aren't you?"

Harry was confused. "I'm who?"

"Harry Potter"

Harry became even more confused. "Well... yeah. I am."

"I knew it! You're alive! Good Lord! Who knew?!" he suddenly exclaimed excitedly. He went around his desk to get a closer look at him.

"Oh! You're certainly your father's son... but your eyes..." he said, peering over his glasses. It was freaking Harry out.

"Erm... Mr. Ollivander... I think you're mistaken. You see, Potter's a really common name in... the non-magical world and... my aunt and uncle said that my parents died long ago when I was a baby..."

"So you're from the Muggle World? That's where you've been?" Mr. Ollivander asked.

"Er... yes?"

"Oh! Goodness! I heard Lily had a sister! You must be living with her now, I presume?"

"Lily? Look-my mother's name was... was... er..." Harry stopped his sentence. What was his mother's name again? His aunt was never fond of speaking his mother's name because they were very close as they grew up and it was painful too for her to mention her sister.

But there was a faint voice inside his head that said, "Her name is Rose." It was very commanding and there was nothing he could do but follow it.

"Her name is Rose." Harry echoed. It felt wrong, somehow.

"R-Rose? Are... are you sure?" Mr. Ollivander said, taken aback.

"Yes, Mr. Ollivander. Potter is really a very common surname in the... Muggle World." Harry told him. He cleared his throat and handed the older man his wand. This seemed to bring Mr. Ollivander back to reality. He quickly swiped the wand from his hand and wrapped it in brown paper.

"But... I thought... you really were him, Mr. Potter. You see, ten years ago, there was a dark wizard who rose to power and he did terrible things. Terrible... yes. But great. He was confident that he was now indestructible, when he had almost seized control of the Wizarding World long ago. But one night, he went to Godric's Hollow where the Potters lived in hiding and murdered their little boy and his babysitter. No one knows why he did it. For most of us, he believed that Harry Potter was the one who was destined to defeat him. And the boy did that too! He defeated Voldemort and reduced him to ashes, he did! But it all came at a terrible price. He's gone. You should've seen Lily and James. They were so heartbroken. Even up to this day, everyone celebrates, and at the same time, mourns the loss of our savior, Harry Potter."

Harry looked up at Mr. Ollivander after he explained the story. "So... So that's why... So that's why you were all excited when I stepped in. And to top it all, we've got the same name." he said, unable to comprehend all the similarities.

"Yes. Yes. But do you know what makes you Harry Potter in my eyes?" he asked me. "Your wand is He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's brother wand."

"B-Brother wand?"

"Ah, such rare cases, wands. You see, the phoenix who gave the tail feather that resides in your wand, gave another feather. Just one other. That particular feather, now resides inside _his _wand."

"His... his wand...?"

"Yes, well... I believed that when young Harry Potter would have been alive, he would acquire this wand. But when news of his death reached me, well... I kept it at the back of the room."

"I... I see." Harry said as Ollivander gave him the brown package.

"It was nice meeting you, Mr. Potter. Take care of that wand..." he said.

Harry nodded and waved weakly to Mr. Ollivander, then exited the shop. As expected, Hagrid was there, waiting for him. He smiled brightly at Harry when he arrived next to him.

"Took longer than I expected, Harry. What happened back there?" Hagrid asked.

"Nothing. Just took time to find the right wand, that's all." Harry answered.

"Hmm... Well, let's get you back home. We can't hang around here all day."

"Right." Harry said and followed Hagrid back to the Leaky Cauldron.

* * *

"Hey James?" Lily asked from her desk. She was currently writing a lesson plan for the coming semester. James still thought that she was WAY too eager for the coming school year. But she paid him no mind. She always prepares for stuff like these. In fact, she's been pestering James to start with his own lesson plans or else his first day back at school would be disastrous.

"Yes Lils?" James answered. He was sitting on the couch by the fire near his wife's desk.

"James... do... do you think..." Lily started nervously.

James raised an eyebrow at his wife.

"Well... do you think... Harry might have survived the attack?"

* * *

**A/N:**AAAAAAAAAANNNNDDD, CUT! Heya people! Sorry for not updating so soon. We've had internet connectivity issues for the past few days... Well, here's the new chapter and hope you've enjoyed it! Ciao!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Well... do you think... Harry might have survived the attack?" Lily whispered hoarsely as she looked into her husband's eyes.

James was caught off guard as he stared blankly at his wife. "I'm sorry dear... erm... what was that?" he asked as he tried to straighten himself up. "For a moment there, I thought you mentioned something about Harry." He didn't know what brought this on. Did something happen earlier today? Ever since August this year their son's name had been mentioned more often.

Lily let her quill fall on the desk and turned her chair around to face her husband fully. Her expression looked confused and hurt. Two emotions that did not go too well when it came to Lily. She cupped her face in her hands and let them slide off then looked at James again. "I'm just saying... what if he really survived James? What then?"

James sighed and stood up. He crossed the room over to his wife's desk and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Lily looked away from him and fixed her gaze on her knees.

"Lils, you know we've been through this. Dumbledore said so himself." James said, slowly rubbing circles on her shoulder using his thumb. Lily still didn't look at him.

"I don't believe a word from that old codger anymore." she said quietly. "He's the reason why my son is dead." She took a deep shaky breath and turned her head slowly to her husband. "No matter what he says, we still could have saved our boy, James. We could have stayed at home that night and..."

"And what Lily? Die at Voldemort's hand?"

"Yes"

"No, Lils... you can't."

"Yes. I should've died that night."

"No, Lils. I would've needed you here. Please. At least you were saved and you didn't die-"

"I'D RATHER DIE BY HIS HAND IF IT MEANS THAT MY SON CAN BE SAVED!" Lily screamed at him. "I should have stayed and protected him that night James, dammit!" she buried her face in her hands and drew another shaky breath. "If... If I could... if I could switch places with my son, I'd... I'd do it. If it means that he'd be able to live in this world longer and... and smile and be happy and laugh... Oh God, I miss him so much..." and clamped her hand to her mouth to stifle her sobs. A tear escaped from her eye and rolled down her cheek. James looked at her sadly and slowly raised his hand to wipe it away.

He knelt in front of Lily and tried wiping away more of her tears that were now falling freely on her cheeks.

"Shh... It's not entirely our fault." he said to her.

"I-It is" Lily replied through her tears.

"No. It's not... It wasn't our fault."

Lily hiccoughed for a moment before regaining a bit of her composure and thought about what her husband had just said. The answer suddenly dawned on her. "You're right. It's not our fault. It's Dumbledore's and that rat and that pitiful excuse of a... a creature, Voldemort!"

"W-What?" James asked, startled by his wife's epiphany.

"It's their fault. Don't you see? We begged Dumbledore to let us go overseas so that we can be safer from Voldemort but did he listen? NO!" Lily said angrily, stomping up and down the stone floors. It seemed like she was done crying and the part where she becomes really angry was just starting. "I should've fought for our right to go overseas! Maybe Harry could've been saved! But what did Dumbledore do? He told us that we should stay here and hide! And why did we choose that... that rat as our Secret Keeper, huh? We should never have switched! And... and Voldemort... god, I hate him so much! He KILLED MY BABY BOY!" screamed Lily.

"Now, now, calm down sweety..." James said, following his wife around the room as though she were to faint in any given minute. The way Lily counted off the things that happened, it still showed that they, as parents, could have done something all those years ago. Lily was right. They should have stayed at home that night. And if they hadn't switched Secret Keepers, then Harry might still be here. He should have protected his family.

And now, here he and his wife were. Broken and beyond repair. Grieving over the loss of the bundle of joy that they took for granted ten years ago.

"Lils, you're right, we could have done something to prevent what happened that night. But it happened. There's nothing we can do to change the past. We've discussed this possibility before, Lily, but... he's gone. We both know that. I thought you would have accepted that by now..." James said to her.

Lily stopped her pacing and turned around to look at James. "I know... he's gone James. But... earlier today I-"

Her sentence was cut short by the sound of the flames bursting to life in the fireplace. The usual orange glow it emanated turned bright green and a moment later, a grown man stepped out of the flames and into the room where the Potters stood.

"I'm not... interrupting something... am I?" said the man as he saw the looks on the couple's faces.

"Sirius, you couldn't have called us beforehand?" Lily told the man.

Sirius scratched the back of his head sheepishly and said, "Sorry... I didn't think you'd be here. You two are usually in your study."

"This _is_ our study." Lily told him.

Sirius stopped scratching his head and looked at her with wide eyes. "Really?"

Lily gave him a firm nod.

"Oh... well... I must have gotten off the wrong fireplace... This manor's got a lot of fireplaces, mate. It's really confusing."

"Well... welcome, nonetheless." James said.

"Thanks" Sirius responded and plopped down on the couch. James joined him.

"So, is there a reason for your visit?" he asked his friend.

Lily went up to them. "Oh, come on James. Don't avoid the subject we've been discussing."

Sirius looked at the fiery redhead and then turned to look at James with raised eyebrows. James understood his silent question and mouthed, "Harry"

Sirius gave him a look of disbelief. "Mate, last time I checked the name was taboo to both of you. What in merlin's beard is going on around here?"

"Er..." James looked at his wife uncertainly. What _had_ brought this subject on? He wasn't so sure himself. "Lils?"

"Wha-? What about you? I'm sure you of all people can explain this to him." Lily said.

James scratched the back of his head. "To be honest... I don't know what brought this on... You suddenly said it and well... how was I supposed to react?"

Lily groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. She had hoped to keep this secret from her husband. She thought that if she somehow said it a bit nonchalantly, he wouldn't suspect anything. How was he going to react when she told him about the incident in Diagon Alley?

"Lils?"

Lily looked at him and sighed. _I guess there's no choice. _She decided to tell the truth but she was nervous about how he would take it. "Er... well... the thing is... that... well, earlier today I... I saw this boy. And... and he resembled our son so much... I... I just... I thought that it was probably him. That... That it was possible that he survived the attack and..."

"Oh..." James said quietly. He finally understood the reason why his wife asked him that question out of the blue. "...so that's why..."

"I... I thought you'd be depressed again if I told you this." Lily said as she sat down on her desk chair. "I'm sorry..."

James stood up and went over to hug her. "Lils... don't worry about me. What about you? You're the one who's been hurt the most. And... just today you've been shown a kid who looks like him. This all too much for you..."

They remained silent like that for a while, listening to the fire cackling in the fireplace and staring blankly ahead. They would've remained like that for a little while longer if it wasn't for Sirius who suddenly snapped his fingers. He looked at the couple and said, "I saw the kid at Diagon Alley earlier too, Lils!"

Lily freed herself from her huband's hold and looked at Sirius disbelievingly. "You have? Really?"

Sirius nodded furiously. "I have! I helped the guy out. Poor sap didn't know which coin was which." he told them.

"And... and did he look like... like Harry?" Lily asked him. She was leaning forward now, eager to hear the information from Sirius.

"Are you kidding? He was a clear copy, Lils! They just looked too similar! I mean, if Harry would still be here..."

Lily's eyes widened. "Then... then I'm not going crazy... he wasn't just my imagination, James!" She quickly stood up. "Then... if he's real... does that mean... he could be...? I mean... could Harry have survived the-" She let out an excited squeal and did a leap of joy. "James! Don't you think he could be-"

"STOP IT, LILS!" James yelled as his body shook. His hands had been balled up into fists and he had them clenched tightly.

Lily was downright surprised. "James...?" she asks worriedly.

"Lils, you know he can't be our boy. A lot of people look alike. There's probably at least six replicas of you and me across the globe and we don't even know it. Just please..."

"I know that! But can't you at least think-"

"Please stop, Lils... I..." James starts. "Dammit! How hard is it to accept that he's gone?"

"Excuse me?" Lily says, putting her hands on either side of her hips.

"Please, Lils... please stop. He's gone and you know it..."

Lily glared at him. Didn't he want their boy back as much as she does? Can't he at least join her in her thoughts that there was a possibility that their son might still be alive? Didn't he care about Harry anymore? Did he merely just brush him aside after he was gone from their lives ten years ago?

"James, can't you at least pretend he's alive somewhere for a second-"

"That's just the problem, Lils!" James cuts her off. "You need to stop pretending. Can't you see that it'll just end in more pain? Look at us! We're broken enough as it is... we don't need another heartbreak."

* * *

Harry looked at the paper he had tacked on the wall across the bed in his bedroom. Only one more night's worth of sleep and he'd be off to Hogwarts. He plopped down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. It was hard to believe, that a few weeks ago, his aunt and uncle were thinking of sending him off to a well known secondary school. It wasn't as fancy as his cousin's was, but the students that the school produced were very skilled and able.

But then came the letter and Hagrid introduced him to a world of magic. A world that he thought that only exists in fairy tales and fiction. He never, until now, had fully accepted that he was part of this amazing and interesting culture. Everything was so... against the law of physics and science... It was just genuinely insane!

Everything flying... spells heard in every direction... pictures walking and talking... everything was so unbelievable and almost unreal.

Most of the time he thought of Hagrid's visit and the letter as a dream. But that thought instantly vanished when he caught a glimpse of the snowy white owl in the far corner of the room where most of his Hogwarts school items were placed. But hey, who wouldn't get the same reaction when there's an owl hooting at you from across the room?

And speaking of the owl, he named her Hedwig. A name he found in one of his textbooks.

"Wow... I can't believe that I'm actually here..." Harry whispered as he looked around his room. He stopped for a moment and thought over the words he just said. Nowadays, he would say strange things that felt weird yet faintly true now and then.

For one thing, he didn't really feel at ease inside this room. This _was_ his room right? He should feel more... I don't know... calm? Relaxed? But no. The room just felt weird and unnatural. He had a feeling that the place was too big. But that can't be true, could it? This was the smallest room in the house. Why on earth would it seem too big for him? It wasn't like he was confined in a small space before... right? No... it wasn't as though his aunt and uncle stuffed him in the cupboard down the stairs right?

His head suddenly hurt. Harry quickly sat up and massaged it. This seemed to happen a lot lately whenever he tried to think too much about these strange things. But getting headaches whenever you thought hard about something was normal right?

Once the pain went away and his head was clear of those strange thoughts, he fell back on his bed and went to sleep. He needed it for the journey to Hogwarts tomorrow.

* * *

**A/N:** Done! Never thought I'd get this finished. This is the longest time I gave Lily and James an appearance in the story. It felt weird writing it. I didn't do too much of a bad job, did I? Anyways, see you in the chapter... which, I hope, will be done if I don't get too distracted.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Harry Potter was sleeping peacefully.

The Hogwarts Express was almost at Hogwarts but Harry and his newfound friend Ron didn't know that as they fell asleep halfway through the ride. It was quite funny, the way they fell asleep. One moment, they were talking about random things after going through the sweets that Harry brought from the lunch trolley, and before they they knew it, their eyelids were drooping and the both of them struggled to stifle their yawns, afraid of offending the other person.

And unsurprisingly, Ron was the first to fall asleep.

And here they were right now. Ron was snoring, Harry was sleeping with his face plastered to the glass window. They could've gone on like that but the train lurched and the two were rudely awakened from their slumber.

Harry sat up quickly and looked around frantically. Ron, however, fell face-forward on the compartment floor.

"Ooww!" Rubbing his nose as he slowly sat up, he said, "What the bloody hell was that?"

Harry tried to calm his breathing and once he was sure that they weren't in any danger as he had previously thought, he answered, "I... I don't know. Maybe it was just the train."

Ron nodded and got back up on his seat, rubbing away some dried up drool on his chin. Harry took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"At least we're awake..." he said as he put his glasses back on.

"Says you. I fell from my seat!" Ron yelled. "And my nose hurts."

Harry knew that it might be rude but he snickered at his friend.

"Yeah. Yeah. Laugh it up all you want. Let's see you get hurt like that."

"Sorry Ron." Harry said.

They remained silent for a few minutes. Ron was still massaging his nose while Harry started taking out his new school robes. He changed into them and stuffed his muggle clothes into his trunk. Ron, after seeing Harry's actions, followed suit.

Once the both of them were out of their normal clothes and in their uniforms, they waited for any sort of announcement.

"What d'you think they'll do? I heard that there's a Sorting of some sort... or so my brothers say..." Ron said out of the blue after a few minutes.

Harry perked up at this information. Sure he had read some of the books they purchased but he mostly just flicked through the pages. Or more like looked for pictures to amuse himself in. "Sorting? What's that?"

Ron shrugged. "I don't know meself. You'd think I'd have an idea with five brothers already at Hogwarts, but they never told me anything." he said. "...well... they did say something about a troll. Something about defeating it..." He caught sight of the horror on Harry's face and he quickly added, "I-I'm not sure about this, meself mate! I'm sure it's just a bunch of rubbish. Yeah... Fred's a joker so... there's no need to worry. They won't let us fight a troll... I... I hope..."

"You're not making me feel any better." Harry told him.

"Well... what am I supposed to do? I have the same amount of knowledge of this as you do!" Ron countered.

"Right... I just thought you'd know. You _do_ come from a wizarding family after all..." Harry said.

"Nope... they enjoy taunting the younger ones."

After that exchange, the two became silent. Ron tried getting that dirty spot off his nose while Harry drifted off in his thoughts. Neither of them were interested in looking out of the window as everything outside was pitch black due to the time.

Harry tried to shake away all negative emotions as he thought back to what Ron had said. This "Sorting" was worrying him. Surely they won't actually do what his red-haired friend had said? How could eleven-year olds defend themselves from trolls? Well... if trolls were like those toys he saw at the store once, then maybe they'd have a chance? The only trolls he knew were those purple haired shorties with big round eyes. Those cute trolls.

He had no idea what wizarding trolls were like.

_'I hope they wouldn't make us do anything hard at this "Sorting"...'_

* * *

"You're kidding me..." Harry whispered after the song performed by an old and dirty hat.

"That's... that's it...?" Ron said hoarsely from his side.

Harry nodded slowly and turned to look at Ron. "Is that thing serious?"

"I can't believe it." Ron said, shaking his head while groaning. "All that worrying... I'm sooo gonna kill those two!"

Harry couldn't believe it either. After all that worrying, all he had to do was to put on a hat. It was that simple. He just had to sit still and wait for the hat to announce where he would belong. _'I can't believe I was so worried when all I really had to was to put on that... that hat!'_

"I'm so gonna kill Fred and George..." he heard Ron say from his left.

Someone cleared their throat and the two turned to look at the speaker. It was the witch who had led them inside the castle after the boat ride with Hagrid. _'What was her name again? Ah... right... Professor McGonagall.'_ Harry focused his attention on her.

"Now, when I call your name, step forth, and you will be sorted into your houses..." Prof. McGonagall said and she took out a long piece of parchment, which, they assumed, where their names were written. She paused for a while before she started to read out the names.

"Abott, Hannah!" she called.

A red-haired girl who was standing up at the front, gulped audibly and started moving towards McGonagall.

Harry couldn't blame her. He was starting to get nervous himself. His palms were starting to become sweaty and nervous waves of anxiety gnawed at his stomach. _'What if there'll be some sort of mistake? What if the Hat doesn't think I'm worthy or something? What if it doesn't sense magic inside me? Wait... that can't be right. After all, Hagrid... Hagrid... What **did** Hagrid do exactly? I can't remember... He... He gave... He gave me... He... arghhh! Why is it so hard to remember? Dammit! I remember Hagrid giving me something... it... it was a... a...'_ Pain quickly erupted in his forehad and Harry quickly put his hand up to rub it. There it was again. Every time he felt like remembering something, this happens. Why can't he just remember?

"You okay, mate?" Ron asked in concern. He was surprised to find Harry clutching his forehead in pain after witnessing the previous girl get sorted.

Harry hissed. "I'm fine Ron. Don't worry about me. I'm _fine_!" Ron withdrew his hand and looked at him for a moment before keeping his distance.

Harry let out a breath he'd been holding and focused once again on his thoughts. What did Hagrid do? Why can't he remember? It had something to do with his magic... or something like that. He searched and searched his mind and tried to hold out until he remembered but the pain became unbearable and he had to bite his tongue to keep himself from screaming out loud. Harry winced at the pain and tears gathered at his eyes. Once he was sure he won't make a sound, he opened his mouth and let out a shuddering breath.

What was wrong with him? Why can't he remember?

"Lewis, Agatha!"

McGonagall's voice broke Harry out of his thoughts. He shook his head and tried to focus at the witch in front of him. He could be called any moment and it would be very embarassing if he didn't go up after his name would be called. And he was also afraid of the possibility that they might not call his name again of he missed it.

Unfortunately, his small attention span had him looking around the Hall. He looked around and noticed the floating candles and the night sky up above for the first time. He hadn't had time to look around before.

His head went back down and examined the large tables surrounding them. There were four large tables around them and up ahead, was an equally large table. The only difference was that it was occupied by what looked like the faculty and staff rather than students. And now that Harry got a better view of them, he became fascinated with the staff's appearances.

He found a man who looked very small, a woman who had grey fly-away hair and a fierce-looking woman with amber colored eyes. Surprisingly, her eye color was distinguishable, despite the distance between them. He also found a man who looked like an overgrown bat. He had greasy hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin. Beside him was another man who was wearing a ridiculously large purple turban. Most of the staff were wearing robes. Though the one who stood out the most, was the old man sitting at the center of the table who was watching the Sorting with an almost bored expression. He wore half-moon spectacles and his white hair and matching white beard were very long.

He was everything that Harry thought a wizard would look like, complete with the star and moon robe.

His eyes drifted to two people who were sitting a few seats away from the old wizard. Harry squinted his eyes at the two. They looked fairly normal. One was a woman and the other was a man. And, now that he noticed it, the two of them were holding hands. It looked like they were a couple.

The man looked friendly enough. He had a faint smile on his face as he watched the other kids get sorted, as did his wife. The man had messy, raven hair and round glasses much like... much like himself. Harry smiled at that. He didn't know there could be someone who would look like him in the wizarding world. But then again, he had seen the amazing things that magic could do. It wouldn't be much of a surprise if more Harry's would pop out later right?

The woman, however, caught his eye. She was _very_ pretty. The prettiest in fact. She had long, red hair and although it wasn't quite distinguishable at a distance, she had bright, emerald eyes. All Harry could do was stare at her. She was so... so familiar. It was like he knew her from... from somewhere.

He would've kept staring but unfortunately, Ron decided to use that moment to interfere. "Hey mate, you okay now?"

"H...Huh?"

Ron raised his eyebrows at him and Harry looked at him for a split-second, before turning his attention back to the woman, and back at Ron again. It was as though he was torn between who to give his attention to.

"Mate, are you alright?" Ron asked again.

"Y-Yeah..." Harry whispered. She looked at the woman for a moment longer, before tearing his eyes away and turning his attention back to the Sorting. Ron seemed to follow his lead and focused on it too.

"Mitchell, Jerome!" McGonagall called. The name echoed off around the stone walls. There was a good minute of waiting in silence before everyone seemed to realize what was going on.

No one stepped up.

Whispers broke out from the students. The older ones started talking amongst themselves animatedly. The first years looked around them and then, at each other. Some even went as far as asking the other for his name. McGonagall kept calling the boy's name loudly over the noise hoping that the boy would come up, but to no avail.

Dumbledore's reaction was unexpected. He looked... shocked? Surprised? Horrified...? He quickly motioned to Hagrid and sent some sort of message to him. Hagrid paled but he nodded.

"What do you think happened?"

"Where's the kid?"

"Did he even hear McGonagall calling his name?"

"Did he miss the train?"

"Maybe he fell down the lake during their boat ride? What? It _is_ possible, you know!"

More questions arose and McGonagall had to calm herself, and hopefully, her students, down to tell them what she was going to do next. She cleared her throat a few times before saying, "Well, ladies and gentlemen, I suggest you should settle down before we continue."

Her words echoed around the walls like the time when she spoke that name. Everybody in the room became silent. The first-years huddled close to each other as they awaited the Headmistress' next words.

"Good." McGonagall said once everyone settled down. "It seems, that Mr. Jerome Mitchell is not going to be available. For what reasons, we do not know. But I assure you, students, he was not taken or abducted... or whatever nonsense you might get into your head. Now... if you will please keep your silence, I will continue the Sorting Ceremony."

McGonagall straightened out her robes and adjusted her position. She held out the parchment once again and looked at the list.

From behind the parchment, where no one can see her face, McGonagall's mouth gaped and her eyes widened at the name that followed Mitchell's. She paled and unwanted shivers ran down her spine. As she brought down the piece of writing material down with white, shaking hands to look at the students, she slowly opened her mouth to announce the name to the entire school.

"H-Harry... Potter..."

* * *

**A/N:** DUN DUN DUN! Cliffie! Sorry guys. I took a loooooonnnggg break I know and I left you all hanging for so long. And I'm sorry for this. I left you in suspense once again.

But how about...

I offer you a deal.

Help me reach **70 **reviews, and I'll post the next chap as soon as the reviews reach that number. You guys give me fifteen reviews per chap. Surely an extra four won't hurt? That's a big cliffie right there.

Please write things that will encourage. I don't care how long... or how short it'll be, all I ask is your support.

So, what'll it be?

**DEAL?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"H-Harry... Potter..."

The world seemed to stop for five people inside the room.

Two of them were Mr. and Mrs. Potter. They, like McGonagall, paled and their hold on each other's hand tightened after their former Professor uttered his name. James and Lily quickly looked at each other and they tensed, fearing what was going to happen. James squeezed his wife's hand tightly and ran his thumb over it to calm her. Lily gave her husband a reassuring squeeze in return and looked at him with a sad smile.

"He's not _him_..." James reminded her.

Lily nodded. "I know..."

Professor McGonagall was beyond shocked. After ten years of... of _not_ discussing this boy... he just... shows up? She looks at James and Lily for a second and saw sadness in their features. McGonagall shook her head. _'No'_. Harry Potter was dead. He died that Halloween night along with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. This was just another child who happens to share the same name, that's all.

_'But,'_ she looks at Lily again. _'I wonder if she will be able to accept this...'_

Dumbledore... well, Dumbledore was also beyond shocked. That's all he was right now. His mouth went agape before he sat rigid in his seat and unflinching.

Harry's heart was pounding inside his chest. His name had been called. This was it.

He took small, stiff steps towards the stool beside McGonagall. All eyes, it seemed, were on him. Instead of the whispers the students did before, they became unnervingly silent. The silence sent unwanted shivers down his spine and he seemed to get goosebumps. He could feel the stares of every student that were trained on his back.

With a small sigh, Harry sat down the stool, wanting the hat to cover up his face so that this would be over with.

McGonagall slowly placed the hat over his head and stepped back to let the hat do its work. Harry waited for the hat to announce the house that he would be sorted into, like he'd seen it do with the other students who went before him.

"Hello"

Harry jumped up in surprise at the hat's sudden greeting. He hadn't expected this. He thought that the hat would just decide SILENTLY not surprise people so suddenly. No wonder the other first years seemed to flinch after McGonagall placed the hat over them.

"My, my... who do we have here? Harry Potter. My, quite a mind you have, dear boy..." the Hat said above him.

"H-How...?" Harry started to say but the Hat suddenly cut him off.

"Merlin, boy, if you start talking out loud like that people whisper. Best to keep some conversations private, don't you think?"

_'Private? How am I supposed to-'_

"There we go! Give yourself a pat on the back. You've managed to do it!"

Was this hat crazy? And was what it with his surprise attacks?

_'No, Mr. Potter, I assure you, I am quite sane. And I think everyone knows that the element of surprise is the best. Now, let's get your Sorting underway. Don't want to keep people waiting, now do we? Let's see...'_

Yep... this Hat was crazy. Harry kept his silence as he let the hat mumble to himself. Was it _that_ hard to choose a house for him? He's been here for almost seven minutes now. He could hear someone tapping his/her foot impatiently.

"No...no... that won't do... Dumbledore's talked about him for years... no, that won't do... what about?... oh, no... wait! No..."

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, the Hat stopped his mumbling and cleared it's throat, no doubt about to announce his house.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the Hat yelled loudly. Its voice echoed all throughout the Great Hall, echoing around the stone walls.

There was no polite applause like before.

As McGonagall removed the Hat from his head, Harry gulped as he saw, for the first time, the sea of students, gawking at him from every direction. And on his back, he could feel the staff's stares trained on him. He gulped and stood up from the stool and started his slow walk towards the Gryffindor table. Even there, the other students kept staring at him.

_'What? Was there something on his face? What was wrong with him? Why do they keep on staring?'_

Harry found a vacant seat at the edge of the table and decided to sit there and keep his head down to try and avoid eye contact and conversations. If this was how he would be treated then maybe coming here was a bad idea...

* * *

"He's not _him_..."

Lily knew that this wasn't their son. She knew that but it took all of her strength to squeeze her husband's hand reassuringly, despite what she was feeling. Part of her wished that this was just some boy who happened to share the same name. It was not uncommon, after all. Potter was a common surname in the Muggle World. Perhaps that's where the boy had come from. Yet... another part of her wished that this boy really _was_ her son. Like it was some sort of miracle or it would be something like the plots in those Muggle soaps her sister used to watch when they were younger.

Miracle or drama plot, she'd give anything to have her son back.

One thing she wasn't looking forward to though, was teaching the lessons. She and her husband taught the first years up to the fourth years. They sometimes get a chance to teach the higher years but that was only if one of the teachers needed their help or were busy. She can't think straight during lessons now. It was bad enough that some of her students were named Harry, but this one right here had his name _and_ his surname. If this was some kind of cruel punishment then she can't help but think that this was too much for her.

The boy stepped up and walked towards the stool. That's when Lily lost it.

_It was him! That boy she bumped into at Flourish and Blotts!_

She felt her head spin and her stomach twist in knots. Dear Merlin, was this really happening right now? She turned to look at her husband, only to find him gawking at the sight of the boy that not only shared their son's name, but also resembled him greatly as well!

James looked at her and his jaw dropped. Lily would've loved to say _'I told you so!'_ right now but they were too shocked at seeing the boy turn up here at Hogwarts.

"Should we... should we talk to him after the feast?" Lily whispered to her husband.

James shook his head in disbelief and he buried his face in his hands. "I... I... honestly... I don't know Lils..."

Lily gripped his hand tight. "Come on. Just a small conversation. I _have_ to check James. I _have_ to make sure. If he's not our boy then I promise, I will not discuss these theories again. I'll try to move on, like you said. Just... just a small conversation..."

James lifted his head and looked at her. "I... I don't know Lils... I don't think that's..."

"Please, James?" Lily begged.

"No... I..."

"Please? Just one small conversation?"

James sighed. There was no talking his wife out of it. Even if he were to decline her request today, there was no telling what she'd do when term starts. Maybe she would corner the boy and interrogate him. He had no other choice but to give in. "Alright... after the feast."

* * *

As the students slowly filed out of the Great Hall, James and Lily stood at near the door to catch "Harry Potter" before he went off with the other first years to their dormitories. James spotted Percy Weasley coming out of the Hall and the couple quickly went over to him. Percy stopped when he found the two Professors blocking his path.

"Er... good evening, Professors... Was there something you needed?" Percy asked them.

James nudged Lily and she glared at him before stepping forward. "Yes, Percy, erm, I... well, _we_ were wondering if you could leave Mr. Harry Potter with us for a short moment. We'd like to have a word with him."

Percy looked at the small group of first years following him before looking back at the couple. "Er... I suppose. But how is he going to get back to the tower?"

"A couple of old Gryffindors like us wouldn't be lost in these halls now, would we? Don't worry. We'll get him to the dormitories." James said, stepping forward as well.

Percy looked uncertain but he nodded and turned to face the first years. "Mr. Potter? Mr. Harry Potter? Come here for a moment please?"

The group parted, revealing two boys standing next to each other. The other one was Percy's little brother, Ron Weasley, and the boy beside him was Harry Potter.

Lily had to fight back the urge to run forward and examine the boy more closely as he timidly stepped forward and raised an eyebrow at the elder Weasley. Percy beckoned him to come closer and had him stand at his side.

"Well, Harry, this is-"

"I'm James Potter. Hogwart's professor." James intervened as he held out his hand to shake the boy's hand.

"And I'm Lily Potter. I'm his wife." Lily told Harry with a kind smile. Harry relaxed a little after seeing her smile and he gave her a small smile too.

"Right. Well, you seem acquainted now. We'll be going then, Professors." Percy said, nodding at the Potters and proceeded to the Grand Staircase.

Once Percy was out of sight, Harry began to panic. He had pulled him out from the group and he was left with these professors. Did he do something? Was it because of what happened at his Sorting?

Lily saw Harry tense up and she placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "Don't worry, young man. You're not in trouble. We simply wanted to talk to you."

"Oh..." Harry said after hearing her words. He let out a sigh of relief.

James chuckled at him.

"Er... but if I'm not in trouble... then why...?" Harry asked, trailing off at the last part.

"Oh! Er... we just wanted to ask some questions." James told him.

"Questions?"

"Yeah. We... I mean, we share the same family name so I thought we're... er... relatives or something..." James said. He laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his head. _'Well that was pathetic...'_ Lily decided to step in at that moment.

"What my husband is trying to say is that in all of the Wizarding World in Britain, we're the only Potters left. He thought that... er... maybe you had a magical parent... Like... um... it was James' distant cousin or something..." Lily said. She was failing more than James.

Harry seemed to buy it, however. "Y-You... You're asking me if I had relatives with magical blood?" he asked.

"Well... yeah, that's the gist of it, I suppose." James said.

"Oh... erm... I don't... I don't really know how to say this..." Harry said as he scratched his head in thought. "Erm... my parents... well... they're dead. They... they died in a car crash when I was a baby. I... I've been with my aunt and uncle ever since."

Lily's eyes widened and she looked at James.

"So... So you didn't know them? Your parents, I mean?" Lily asked. Now she felt guilty for bringing this up. "I'm sorry if this-"

"Oh, no, no, no,no! Don't be. I'm not angry at you or anything. But... well, stuff happens, you know?" Harry told them.

Lily couldn't understand how a child so small like him could cope with the pain of losing two of his loved ones. Maybe it was just because he lost them at such a young age but that just makes her feel more sorry for the boy. He doesn't remember his parents and worse, he grew up without them. "And your aunt and uncle?" she asked.

"They're great. And they have a son and we play a lot together. I don't really feel that sad because I have them."

"I see. What're their names?" Lily asked him as he peered into his glasses, seeing his emerald eyes that were so much like her own. It was like they were taunting her.

"My aunt's name's Julie and my uncle's David. Their son's Will." Harry told them.

"So you're a muggleborn then?" James asked.

"Er... I guess?" Harry answered.

"BUT" James said loudly to cut him off. "Are you _really_ sure you don't know any Potters? Please. I... we... just need to know."

Lily gawped at her husband. He had never seen him this desperate. Maybe he finally accepted that her theory was possible.

Harry looked at the pair for a long time. _'Why are they asking me these questions? I'm just a nobody... Even Ollivan...der...'_ His eyes widened. So _that's _why! No wonder he gained that kind of reaction from everyone! But he already cleared it up with Ollivander though. Maybe he could clear it up for them?

"Erm... Mr. and Mrs Potter? Er... I... I know the story about... about the loss of your son and... and I'm sorry if I happened to look like him. It's just... I'm _not_ him, okay? I mean, I'm sorry... but... like I said, things happen. I'm not him."

That wiped the smile off of Lily's face. James looked crushed.

"B-But... you... I mean..." James stuttered.

"I... I'm sorry Mr. Potter... I'm not him."

James' arms dropped to his sides and he looked torn. Lily was looking no better than him. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears. Of course... James was right all along. It was only a matter of time before it resulted in heartbreak.

Lily smiled at him sadly. "Well, that was all we needed to know. James, lead him to the Gryffindor common room, please? I... need some time to think." she said. James paused for a moment before nodding and leaving his wife to her thoughts. He needed time to think, himself.

"Come on, Harry. Let's go." James said to Harry and dragged him up the Grand Staircase.

Lily followed them after a short while but she stopped at the fourth floor and she proceeded to her and James' room. _'I should have known... Why can't I just accept that he's truly gone?'_

* * *

Dumbledore closed the door with a flick of his wrist. Instead of closing simply, it slammed shut with great force. The half giant standing in front of his desk flinched at the sound. Dumbledore propped his elbows on the the desk and rested his head on his hands. Hagrid squirmed under his gaze.

"So... Hagrid. Let's discuss... your mission at Privet Drive.

* * *

**A/N: **There we go! As promised. Hehehe. Thanks for the reviews you guys. Love ya all!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"So... Hagrid. Let's discuss... your mission at Privet Drive." Dumbledore started as he folded his hands under his chin. His normally twinkling blue eyes had gone icy. His kind, grandfatherly smile was gone and it was replaced with a no-nonsense look.

Hagrid shuffled his feet nervously as he tried to avoid Dumbledore's gaze. With the way he glared through his half-moon spectacles, it was like he'd be turned to stone if he looked into his eyes.

Dumbledore decided to continue. "I _gave_ you that mission because I knew I could trust you. I even gave you the potion!"

Hagrid's height no longer seemed to tower over Dumbledore. He looked like he shrunk. "B-But... Professor Dumbledore, sir, he..."

"Did I, or did I not, tell you to be careful? I specifically told you that he should drink every last drop of the potion so that he would forget. Why is he still Harry Potter when he should have been Jerome Mitchell by now?!" Dumbledore said angrily, fist pounding on the table.

Hagrid flinched and tried to recall what happened on that day. He surely remembered giving it to Harry but...

His eyes widened. _Of course!_ Harry _didn't _drink every last drop of that potion. He drank only half and the rest was spilled on the ground. He had been reduced to hacking fits after he gulped the first few drops. Oh no... Dumbledore would surely be angry if he found out. But he had a feeling that he knew already.

"I'm sorry, Professor Dumbledore, sir. I wos careless-"

"Yes, you were." Dumbledore said, taking a look at the pocket watch in his hand. He only had a few more minutes before the spell on Hagrid would wear off. After this, he would have no more recollection about this conversation, whatsoever. The potion he had ordered to be given to Harry was designed so that when he would have drunk it all, all memory of meeting _the _Harry Potter would disappear from Hagrid's mind. Instead, he would only remember assisting Jerome Mitchell, a boy who lived with his relatives after his parents, Rose and Edward, died in a car crash.

But the unexpected thing that happened was that Harry only drank half of it, which resulted in him only knowing that his aunt and uncle were named differently than what he was used to. That also goes the same for his parents. And with the potions effects being linked with Hagrid, he only knew that Harry was an ordinary boy who needed help with his shopping at Diagon Alley. The name Harry Potter was useless to him because he was being associated with Jerome Mitchell, an identity that he would have had if he drank the entire damn bottle.

Dumbledore looked at the watch again. Only one minute left. He would have dearly loved to punish Hagrid for his carelessness but there was nothing that could be done now. As much as it pains him, he would have to let him off the hook, since his memory would be wiped after this anyway.

"Hagrid, go. Leave me for the time being." he said, gritting his teeth.

Of course, the terrified Hagrid didn't need telling twice and he bolted out of the room. Dumbledore slammed his fist on the desk's surface. A few of the whirring, silver objects that littered his desk fell to the ground with a crash but he didn't pick it up. He was glaring at the empty air in front of him.

He was getting very unlucky. He would need to think up of a new plan to separate the Potters and draw Harry to him. _But what should he do?!_

* * *

Harry quickly dressed in his school uniform and yelled at Ron to hurry up. Today was officially the first day of school and he wasn't going to be late, even if it meant ditching Ron, who he had to wake up. They only had a few minutes to spend on breakfast before the first period of classes would start. And they haven't even got their schedules yet!

"Come on! Hurry up!" he yelled again as he sprinted down the Grand Staircase. Ron was taking longer strides just to keep up with the raven-haired boy.

When they finally arrived at the Great Hall, they immediately ran to the Gryffindor Table and grabbed a few pieces of toast before being spotted by Professor McGonagall. She walked up to them and hurriedly gave them their schedules before she walked away again to speak with another student. The boys quickly took a look at their class schedules, looking for the first class' starting time.

"I've got Charms for the first period. You?" Harry said after checking his schedule.

"Yup, charms too." Ron said, still staring at his. His eyes suddenly widen. "It starts in ten minutes! What do we do now?!"

Harry was already way ahead of him. "Run to the classroom, of course!" he answers Ron as he rounded the corner that headed towards the direction of the Grand Staircase.

"Wait for me!"

They quickly sprinted towards the third floor where the Charms Corridor was located. Harry didn't spare any other thoughts. He just ran straight ahead, trying his hardest to avoid the other students, so as to avoid hitting them. Ron wasn't exactly falling behind... but he's not exactly catching up to him either. But that didn't matter right now. What was important was that class would be starting any minute now and they had yet to reach the classroom.

Not even sparing time to breathe, Harry rounded the next corner where their classroom was and hurriedly got to the door. He quickly pushed it open and leaned on the door to catch his breath for a while.

"Did... did we... make it?" he heard Ron say moments later.

Harry had yet to confirm that. He looked up to see the other students looking at him. They looked like they've seen some aliens who specifically asked them to give them a taste of a cupcake. He looked around the room and he was very relieved to find that the teacher still hadn't come.

Grabbing Ron's arm, he dragged him towards an empty seat near the back, which was the only one that wasn't occupied. Thankfully, the other students had stopped staring. As soon as he sat down, Harry sighed and dropped his head on the desk.

"Thank goodness..." he whispered.

Unfortunately, he was only given about two seconds to relax himself when a voice rang throughout the room.

"Good morning, class! My name is Lily Potter and I will be your Charms professor starting today."

Harry lifted his head up and took a look at his Charms Professor. Sure enough, he saw the woman who introduced herself to him last night. He thought it was rather weird of them to suddenly corner him like that but they really must be longing for their family, as they said. He wasn't sure though. Maybe magical folk had closer bonds with their family or something... Nevertheless, it was time for class so he sat up and placed his hands on the table.

"Right. Now, I'm going to take a roll call... Please raise your hand up and say _'__Here'_ if your name is called." Lily called from her desk up front. She held a parchment containing the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff first-years' names. As she called every student on the list, her stomach can't help but squirm. If she reached "Harry Potter" 's name...

Lily shook her head. They cleared things up last night. Yes, they cleared it up. She was wrong to get her hopes up just like that. The hideous truth eventually came and both she and her husband were crushed in the end. In fact, last night, she had to force herself to start thinking like James. Accept reality. Harry was gone. They couldn't do anything. Bringing people back to life just isn't possible.

"Potter, Harry..." she said nonchalantly, too absorbed in her thoughts. It wasn't until Harry's voice spoke that she was shaken out of it.

Eerily similar emerald eyes bore into each other until Lily forced herself to look away, pretending to mark off Harry's name on the list. She had to stop these outrageous thoughts. This Harry wasn't her son.

She wasn't the only person who reacted after announcing Harry's name. Most of the other first-years gawked at Harry's general direction and the poor boy had to hide behind his book. Ron tried his best to help him. Harry already cleared everything up with him on the train so he understood.

"Is he _really_ Harry Potter?"

"But... isn't he supposed to be... you know, dead?"

"Harry Potter? _Here_?"

"How is he even alive?!"

Suddenly aware of the chatter among her students, Lily lifted her head up. She brushed a few red strands of her hair away from her face and cleared her throat. Every head turned in attention to her and she stood up and walked to the front of her desk. She had to clear it up, like Harry cleared it up with her and James.

"Listen, class, Mr. Potter is _not_ the Harry Potter you've heard about." she started to say.

One of the students raised her hand and said, "So... he isn't your son?"

She felt her chest tighten at that and her stomach dropped. She wasn't expecting that question. But she answered the girl, nonetheless. "Yes... h-he isn't my son."

"Sorry for asking, Professor." the girl said.

Lily gave her a weak smile and placed her arms around herself. "As I was saying, Mr. Potter has lived in the muggle world for his entire life and he only just knew he's a wizard after he got his letter. He's just a normal boy who never knew the Wizarding World existed until now."

Some of the students nodded in understanding.

"There are a lot of people who share the same name and I just have to tell you this so you won't be surprised if you find another person who might look like you."

Another student raised his hand. "Professor, do Potter and your son... look alike?"

Lily didn't know how they got steered into this direction. But then, she had to answer them. "Y-Yes... they do."

Several of them gasped.

"Maybe he's _really_ Harry Potter!"

"It's possible that he might be the real one!"

"They look alike?! This must be him!"

"Professor! Are you _sure_ he's not your son?"

Lily couldn't take it anymore. She slammed her book on the desk and faced them. "Listen. We've already cleared it up with Mr. Potter last night. You can ask the Gryffindor first-years, if you like. I won't give you the details but YES, we are VERY certain that he's not our Harry."

The entire class went deathly silent at that. They didn't know what else to say and Lily had made it clear that he wasn't their savior. Frankly, the rest of them were too scared to talk after seeing that. She had slammed a fairly thick book on her desk and it managed to produce an unusually loud bang.

Seeing as her students were now silent, Lily composed herself and picked up her book once again. She cleared her throat and spoke "Get your books and turn to page three."

The class did as they were told and silently flipped the pages of their book. The class went on in the same manner. Some of them still glanced warily at Lily but she seemed to have returned to her usual self, though her eyes always found themselves straying to the raven-haired boy at the back, writing furiously at a piece of parchment.

She knew she should really start thinking like her husband but after observing him... she didn't know what to think anymore. He had all their quirks. The way he looks up at the ceiling every few minutes was so much like James and the way he bites his lower lip as he writes definitely looks like her. The way he would tug at his messy hair, the way he scratches the back of his head when in thought...

Lily felt like exploding. She didn't know what to think anymore. Is this some sort of torture for her? Why would fate send her a replica of her son just to tease her?

Is he just Harry Potter from the Muggle World or is he _Harry Potter_, her son?

* * *

**A/N:** Hi! Been a long time. How long has it bee...n... I'M SORRY! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! I'M SORRY! I have no acceptable reason... I'm sorry. I just unknowingly went on an anime and videogame filled break and I never really felt like writing during those times. I'M REALLY SORRY.

But then... if I'm supposed to post the next chap... I'll expect the usual 15 reviews per chap. :D


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The rest of the lesson progressed fairly quickly. They handed in their desk work after a half hour and Lily discussed the history of Charms for the remainder of their time. When the bell rang, the students immediately packed up, got up from their seats and walked out the door in a messy line.

Lily shouted some reminders to them as they got out. She caught sight of Harry and her voice caught in her throat. She didn't know whether or not she should call Harry and let him stay for a while. She decided against it in the end, after seeing him disappearing from view.

She told herself to forget it. This Harry is _not_ her son. How many times should she have to tell herself that?

Probably a lot...

* * *

Harry trudged alongside Ron as they headed towards the Great Hall. They had just finished their morning classes and he already had enough of the stares and his mistaken identity. Why did he _have_ to look like their dead savior? Every single time they entered class, everyone's eyes would stick onto him. He already told them. And it was cleared up in Charms.

And as if that wasn't enough, their experience in Potions made it worse. Their teacher was nothing but a greasy-haired git. As soon as his name was called for roll call, he leered at him and Harry swore the hair at the back of his neck stood up. The man absolutely despised him, no doubt about that. It was like the man deducted points simply because he existed! He didn't even do anything to him! What was that guy's problem?!

"I hate this day!" Harry growled out as he sat down.

Ron only sighed and gathered some chicken onto his plate. He had put up with Harry's outbursts the whole morning. He was already used to it now. "You know, mate, they'll knock it into their heads by the end of the week. Just wait a bit longer."

Harry, who had been pulling at his hair as he buried his face onto the table's surface, looked up. "I can't wait that long! It's just been a few hours and I feel like I'm going crazy!"

Ron shrugged and took a bite of his food. He better leave Harry to his own devices for now. He was sure he would go back to normal by the time their lunch break is done. He took another glance at his friend and he saw him putting some food on his plate. Good. If he eats, then he'll cool down.

"Ron, what class is next?" Harry asked after swallowing. He grabbed a glass of pumpkin juice and started to chug it down.

Ron pulled out his class schedule and read out, "Defense Against the Dark Arts with... Professor Quirr- Hey!"

Harry stopped drinking and looked at him with raised eyebrows. He still hadn't swallowed the juice though.

Ron pointed to the schedule. "The name changed! It was supposed to be someone called Quirell but now, it says James Potter!"

Harry sprayed the juice inside his mouth onto Ron's face.

"Eurgh! Harry!"

Harry ignored Ron. _Another_ Potter?! Aw, great! _Fantastic_! The incident during Charms would repeat again.

"Yuck... I'm gonna go get changed... This is so gross!" Ron yelled as he pulled out a face towel from his bag.

Harry smiled apologetically at him as he scratched the back of his head. "Sorry... I'll just wait for you here then..."

* * *

Defense Against the Dark Arts was held at the third floor, the same as Charms. Harry didn't know what to feel. He wanted to avoid the Charms corridor for as long as possible until tomorrow but he did not have a choice in the matter. The DADA classroom had no other route but the Charms corridor. Apparently, the classrooms were just located next to other. How _convenient_...

As the both of them passed by, Harry secretly prayed that he wouldn't be spotted by the Potters. Interactions in class were fine but if they were found conversing outside classes often, people would suspect that something was up and they would start labeling him as their savior. He did _not_ want that.

Harry lifted one of his hands up to cover his face as he passed by the Charms classroom's door. Unfortunately, he wasn't focusing at the path up ahead. He hit something solid and he stumbled back. Strong arms gripped his and pulled him up.

"I... Sorry... I wasn't looking and I... _you?!_"

Standing in front of him was James Potter. He was looking surprised at his sudden statement and he looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Yes, young man?"

"Uh..." Harry was speechless. He couldn't believe how bad his luck was this day. He just wanted some peace and quiet for once. "I... uh..."

James cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses. "It was an accident. I get it. Off you go then." He said with a kind smile and patted Harry's back.

Harry was... confused.

Here he was, heart racing... and James Potter just tells him to go on? Wha...?

James walked away from them and turned at the door that headed towards the Charms classroom, no doubt visiting his wife before classes would start. That was sweet, in it's own way, but Harry was still dumbfounded as to what happened earlier.

"Come on..." Ron said, dragging him inside the DADA classroom.

Harry didn't even fight him and he didn't comment when Ron dropped him on a seat at the back of the class.

"He was unusually calm about it, wasn't he, Ron?" Harry said, placing a notebook and a bottle of ink on the desk. "I mean, Prof. Lily kept staring at me and she was eyeing me when I entered the classroom this morning. It's like something's up with them."

Ron groaned. "We've been over this... You can't exactly blame them can you? Even _I_ was surprised when I saw you in that train compartment. It was like you've risen from the dead."

"But I can't keep being known as _the_ dead Harry Potter. I'm alive and not him. If people could _just_ knock it into their heads..."

Harry's sentence was cut off by the sound of the door opening and closing. Someone cleared his throat and everyone turned to look at the direction where it came from. It turned out to be their Professor. He had a roll of parchment and two notebooks in his hand. He was looking over each and everyone of them and Harry could see his forehead creasing over in a frown.

Until his eyes landed on him...

_Of course..._

"Mr. Potter, if you would be so kind, could you help me with some things I left in my quarters?" he said.

Harry could feel everyone's eyes on him but he can't help but look left and right. He silently pointed at himself with his eyebrows raised. He saw Ron nod at the corner of his eye and he sighed and resigned himself to his inevitable fate.

"This way, Mr. Potter." he heard Prof. Potter say. Okay... that was... confusing.

Everyone was still staring at them even as they went out of the classroom, though James Potter showed no signs of noticing. Harry thought he was being weird before class started but now... now that he got him alone and together with him with no one watching... Oh no... He isn't going to pull that "We're-looking-for-possible-family-members" stunt again is he? Or maybe they actually let themselves believe that he was their dead son?

Well... there was a big chance that the last one wouldn't happen but it was still an option. It didn't change the fact that James Potter was acting strange.

He just had to find out why.

"Err... excuse me, Professor, but why did you ask me to help you out?" Harry asked, trying to keep up with the man.

James turned to look at him, half-surprised at his question. "No reason, really..." he said. "Well... aside from the fact that you're the only person I know..."

Harry sweatdropped at that. _Seriously?_

"Ahaha... you must think that's dumb. But it's true. You're the only one I know." James says as he turns left at a corner. "This way." He led Harry to a staircase there.

Harry was still struggling to keep up but he wanted answers, too. "You could've easily asked anyone, Professor. Was there something you wanted to say to me in private?"

James stopped at that. He turned around to look at him. "Actually... yes."

Harry's eyes widened at that. "R-Really?"

James nodded. "Really. Ah, in here." he added as he opened a door after reaching the top of the stairs.

As Harry stepped inside, he realized that the room looked awfully like the Gryffindor common room... only smaller. "Professor... this..."

James, who had went up ahead to a pile of boxes, looked at him. He smiled gently as he saw Harry's face look so fascinated as he slowly turned around to take in the entire room. The way he did that reminded him so much of... Lily. James' eyes widened and he shook his head. He didn't have to think like that. This boy was not his son.

Still, something about the way Harry looks around in fascination made him smile. He never felt this way with other children. Now that he thought about it, Harry was the first child who made him smile in ten long years.

"Whoa... this is just too much like our common room." he heard Harry whisper in awe.

James chuckled. "Like it? My wife and I were once Gryffindors and... you know, it never really dies out. Once a Gryffindor, always a Gryffindor."

Harry stopped twirling around and looked at him. "This is awesome, Professor."

"I'm glad you like it. Now, why don't you try and help me with that box over there? We'll be needing these for our lesson." James said, pointing to a small box next to couch.

Harry went over to pick it up but he stopped when he saw a picture frame on the table beside the couch. It was of Professors James and Lily. They were holding a smiling baby boy in their hands and they looked very happy and very content in the picture.

Mesmerized Harry carefully picked it up and stared at the family of three waving cheerfully at him through the frame's glass. He couldn't tear his eyes away at the beautiful yet sad scene. He couldn't believe that this family would be so broken in the future.

At the same time, he felt a pang of sadness as he stared at it. Did he and his parents take a picture like this when he was little too? Were they positioned like this? Did they smile just as widely as the Potters did? Were they happy too?

Harry felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up and saw James Potter giving him a sad smile. It was sad, now that he saw them like this. He thought that he was the only person that was having a hard time with being mistaken for their savior but he never really stopped and thought about the Potters.

He wanted to apologize for being so selfish. He felt so stupid right now. James' hold on his shoulder tightened and it made Harry look up at him.

"That picture almost looks like a lie, doesn't it?" James asked.

Harry looked at the picture again and he slowly shook his head. "Not really. I think this is perfect. I don't think this is a lie at all. It was captured, wasn't it? This picture is a proof that there were happier times. It's a proof and a reminder that it really did happen and it isn't just some sort of dream. It's _perfect_..."

Without realizing it, James pulled him closer to him and and rubbed his shoulders soothingly. "It's too bad that it was just all in the past, right? It's just something that couldn't be in the future..."

Harry welcomed James' embrace. He felt warm and relaxed... unlike the first time he encountered the man. After finding out a little about his life, he came to respect the man. He was amazed at how he was able to hold himself together and still be strong for his family.

"I'm sure your parents did this kind of thing when you were still a baby too..." James said after a while.

Harry chuckled sadly at that. "I wouldn't know. I don't have any pictures of them."

James' head immediately turned around to look at Harry. "Y-You don't have any pictures of your parents?"

Harry shook his head. "My aunt apparently burned everything after the funeral. She said everything was so painful. I didn't really ask too much questions-" There was a sharp pain in his head. It was starting to throb painfully as blurry images played in his head. He didn't understand what they meant but one thing was sure, his head HURT A LOT!

_'But-'_

_'I told you I don't want to hear it!'_

_'But Aunt Petunia!'_

_'Go to your cupboard! No supper for tonight!'_

"...rry... arry... HARRY!"

Harry looked up and saw James' worried expression hovering over him. "Harry? Are you alright?"

Harry was still dazed about what happened but he managed to give James a shaky nod. "I'm alright. Slight headache, is all..."

"Maybe you should go to the Hospital Wing. I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will have a cure for whatever it is you have." James said, not entirely convinced.

Harry shook his head. "No, no! I... I'm fine. I'm fine. We're running late, anyways. We still need to head back to the classroom." Harry quickly said to change the subject.

James still didn't look convinced but he agreed nonetheless and the both of them picked up their boxes and headed towards the classroom. James was still eyeing him but Harry didn't notice. He was too deep in thought.

_Who's Aunt Petunia?_

* * *

**A/N:** Yahoooo! Chapter 8 is out~ Lost the idea I had with this chapter but I can't help it. SCHOOL IS BACK IN SESSION PEOPLE! I won't be updating as quick as I can but I will try and write if I have time. Please understand.

As always, waiting for the 15 reviews (and hopefully your forgiveness for the last chap) !


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The bell rang and all the students immediately sprang up their seats and lined up at the door. James looked up just in time to see Harry stand up and go around the desk he had been sitting on.

James stood up from his chair and called, "Harry, stay for a moment."

Harry looked at Ron and the redhead just shrugged at him. James could see Harry shaking a bit and he was starting to become pale, like he was extremely nervous. Of course, he _is_ a professor. Any student would be frightened if he or she were told to stay.

Ron mouthed something to Harry and he went outside, leaving both Potters alone.

"Sit down, Harry." James said as he leaned back on his desk.

Harry gulped and sat down on a nearby chair. "Am... Am I in trouble, professor?"

"What?" James raised his eyebrows. "Why would you be in trouble?"

"I... I just thought... never mind. What's this about then?" Harry asked.

James sighed. "This is about what happened earlier. When I asked you to help me. Are you sure you're alright Harry?"

Harry looked up and gaped at him. Was this guy serious? He held him back here just because of that? Sure what happened to him was beyond normal and was surely something that needed to be checked up on, but it was gone now.

"Harry?" James said as he waved his hand in front of him.

Harry was shaken out of his thoughts and said, "Yeah, uh... I-I'm fine. I'm fine Professor, really. It was just a slight headache. Nothing to worry about."

James eyebrows rose. "A headache? Shouldn't you have that checked at the Hospital Wing?"

"No. No. It's not necessary, I mean, come on, it's just a small headache." Harry said with a small, unsure chuckle.

"Alright..."James said slowly but he kept eyeing him as though he was something awfully suspicious. "If that headache comes back often, you should go to the Hospital Wing, are we clear?"

"Huh?"

Upon seeing Harry's confused look, James sighed. "You see, Harry, we teachers care for our students greatly, believe me, I once saved a child from drowning in the Black Lake."

Harry gave him a look that said "I-don't-believe-you" and James chuckled.

"Believe it or not, it happened. Now, where was I... oh yeah, We care about you so whenever a teacher might tell you do to absurd things without a particular reason, remember that there are always two possibilities. One, he or she is only thinking about your wellbeing or... two, he might just want to mess around with you." James said, chuckling at the last part.

Harry smiled a bit at that. He thought conversations with James Potter would be kind of awkward or tense but if this kind of flow continues, then he wouldn't mind speaking to him sometime in the future. Maybe he would go as far as to ask for some advice.

"Now, I've kept you in here for too long, I'm sure you're really late for your next class." James said, opening his desk drawer and pulling out a piece of paper. He grabbed a quill and dipped it in a nearby ink bottle and started scribbling on it. He was done in just a few seconds and he handed the piece of paper to Harry.

"Give this to your professor for your next subject. It would get you out of trouble for coming in late." James said as he returned to the front of his desk.

Harry's hold on the paper became tighter upon hearing that and James' lip twitched upward when he saw it.

"Well... I'll see you later then. Careful, okay?" he said as Harry started his walk towards the door.

"Will do. Thanks sir!" Harry said as he waved his hand and slowly closed the door behind him.

James sighed and smiled. That Harry Potter was a nice boy. He thought he would be all distant and non-interactive but he sure proved him wrong. He didn't cause him to get sad over his son's loss as he had previously thought. If anything, he took his mind off it.

* * *

**A few days later...**

Harry was about to lose it. This time though, it had nothing to do with the stares. No, this time, it was because of another class. Yes, he thought that since this was a magical school then, he would somehow do everything magically and without breaking a sweat. But boy was he wrong!

The teachers were ruthless witches and wizards. Especially McGonagall and Snape. They were the worst. Harry could not remember a single day in which he was free ever since school started. Those two always gave them homework as though it was their life source and it was like if they missed even a single one, they would die.

That was not the worst part though. The worst part was that most of their classes were held together with the Slytherins.

Over the course of four days, Harry quickly learned that Slytherins were nothing but rude, spoiled brats who depend on their bat-like teacher who liked to defend them. Of course, it had to be Snape. The guy he hated the most with such an outstanding passion that he thinks he might get an award just for it. The guy deducted points from Gryffindor simply because they wore scarlet and gold.

Snape was such a biased Head of House. They expected McGonagall to put a stop to it or maybe treat her Gryffindors like how Snape treated his little snakes but she scolded Gryffindors twice as hard as she would with the Slytherins. Of course, they could understand her, wanting everyone to learn and be disciplined, but the Gryffindors were ridiculously beaten.

The only things that Harry looked forward to were Professor James' and Professor Lily's lessons. Those two always made him brighten up and, although he might not get the lessons most of the time, he loved to just simply sit and listen to them talk and demonstrate some spells.

James Potter sometimes substituted for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, and History of Magic. He did not have a proper subject like his wife so whenever he comes to their lessons instead of their usual teachers, he would be overjoyed. Unlike their usual Teachers, James was easy to talk to. He joked around with them sometimes but not too much that it would cause the class to get out of hand. He did not give them fright and most of them listened attentively as he discussed the lesson like it was a story.

Lily Potter's lessons, however, were gentle and easy going. Since it was still their first week, they were supposed to study the history of Charms, in which, Hermione was proud to say, they were going to finish by next week.

Of course, this wasn't a comfort to Harry. After History, they would pour over countless theories and maybe, by October, they can perform their first Charm. Yippee...

But that did not mean that Professor Lily's lessons were boring. If anything, it was wonderful. History had never been taught like how she did. James' lessons often included transfiguration of small objects into tiny models of golins and wizards and make them fight a battle while he talks in the background.

Lily spoke every word with such charm that it was impossible not to pay attention. She would often demonstrate a few things on the sentence like, _"...and then, Reiner Grovell, an insane old wizard from the mountains of Scotland, found a way to" she snaps her fingers and fire immediately formed over her palm. "make fire!"_

It certainly amazed all of them. She always manages to surprise them with her spells whenever they go over their books.

Back to the present.

Harry slapped a hand to his face and turned to face Ron. "I knew it..."

Ron looked equally horrorstruck. "Mate, don't they think we've had enough of them?"

"Why?!" Harry said dramatically as he raised his hands up to the air. A few passers-by stare at their weird actions but the two ignored them. "Why?! Why would they put us in another class with... with _them_?!"

By them, he meant the Slytherins. Another class with Slytherin. It now adds to a grand total of 5 classes with them in a week.

* * *

The Gryffindors and Slytherins glared hard at each other as Draco Malfoy, an arrogant brat from Slytherin strode forward with a small, golden, glass ball in his hands. He was leaning on his broom smugly as he smirked at Harry.

"You want this?" he said teasingly as he held up the glass ball.

Harry made a move to snatch it but Malfoy quickly moved his arm so that he couldn't reach it. "Ah, Ah, Ah.." he said, flicking his pointer finger left and right. "I'll have Neville get this. I'll just leave it somewhere for him to find. How 'bout on the roof?" he said and swung his left foot over the broom and took off.

Harry ground his teeth in his rage. That Draco Malfoy hadn't been lying when he said he knew how to fly. Harry didn't know he could hate someone so much in his entire lifetime.

Just a few minutes ago, their Professor, Madam Hooch, took Neville to the Hospital Wing. Neville took off too early on his broom and he lost control of it in his panic. He broke his wrist after he fell down a few feet. Unfortunately, he left his Remembrall, the one that Malfoy was currently holding.

The Slytherins' smug faces made Harry clench his fist so hard. The rest of the Gryffindors intensified their glares but all of them knew that someone had to go up there and put a stop to Malfoy's actions.

Harry swung his leg over his own broom and was about to kick off when he felt a hand on his arm. He immediately sent a glare to the one who tried to stop him and he found out that it was Hermione.

"What are you doing? Let go!" He yelled as he tried to pull his arm away.

"No!" Hermione said firmly. "Madam Hooch told us to stay put!"

She was right. Madam Hooch did threaten them. She told them to stay on the ground or they would be expelled. But he did not care. His blood was boiling and he wanted to rip Malfoy apart so badly right now.

With a firm tug, he managed to break free from Hermione's grasp and he immediately kicked off from the ground.

"What an idiot..." Hermione muttered.

Harry was never comfortable with the idea of flying. He had been excited at first but as the flying lessons grew closer, he began to acquire some fears. He did not voice it out like Hermione or Neville but he was definitely a little bit nervous about it. He was surprised when he found out that Ron, who grew up in a wizarding household, had little to none experience with flying on broomsticks.

But now...

Everything just... vanished.

They were just... gone.

For the first time in his life, he felt so free.

Harry released a small chuckle from his lips as he stared at his own hands, gripping the broom handle tightly, with amazement. He couldn't believe it. It all just felt natural... somehow... The wind rushing past his body as they blocked his ears from hearing any sounds didn't bother him at all. He thought it all added to the effect.

He didn't know why he was so scared in the first place. FLYING WAS AMAZING!

From the corner of his eye, he saw Malfoy and he quickly turned the broom so that it would face the Slytherin. Malfoy was a little shocked to find out that he knew how to fly as well but he quickly composed himself.

"Give it here, Malfoy!" Harry yelled.

Malfoy did not reply as he simply tossed the ball around and caught it. Harry snarled and made the broomstick zoom towards Malfoy. To his surprise, he found himself facing nothing. He didn't even feel himself come in contact with Malfoy.

Harry turned his broom around and yelled, "Give it here Malfoy or I'll knock you off your broom!"

Malfoy turned slightly at him. Harry could see that annoying smirk of his again. "Really? Have it your way then."

With one quick motion, he threw the ball off into the opposite direction. The color drained from Harry's face and he felt his heart stop for a moment.

He didn't know what made him do it. All he knew was that he was looking at the ball falling in slow motion in front of him and everything else followed after. It all just seemed to click. His hands gripped the handle tightly and with one motion, he was diving towards the ground in high speed. Everything was a blur around him but the Remembrall was clear. It was like it was the only thing he was seeing at this moment.

He let his left hand let go of the handle and it slowly reached out to the ball just a millimeter away from him.

What happened next was too fast. He remembered grasping the ball and then he felt like he flew upwards and then gently, down. Before he knew it, he was in the middle of screaming Gryffindors and scowling Slytherins with his hand raised. In it, was the Remembrall.

"What the-?" Harry said hoarsely.

"Mate! You did it mate! You did it!" Ron yelled, jumping up and down in joy.

Harry was silent. What on earth had he done?

"HARRY POTTER!"

The screaming around them stopped. All students turned to see a very shaken, white-faced Mcgonagall. The students immediately compressed closer to each other as they determinedly looked at the ground.

The Slytherins looked on smugly at the scene unfolding before them.

Ron decided to step up. "Professor McGonagall, it wasn't his fault! He-"

"Be quiet, Mr. Weasley. Potter, come with me!" McGonagall said.

All heads turned to Harry, whose robes were slipping of his shoulder and his hair windswept. He didn't have a choice but to follow Professor McGonagall. He didn't even leave his broom behind. He must've looked ridiculous, walking around the castle with it, following Professor McGonagall. He knew he was going to be expelled. He just knew it.

So why wasn't he?

A few minutes later, he found himself in an unused classroom with McGonagall and a fifth-year named Wood.

"I'm what?" Harry croaked as he stared at them with a pale face.

The pair looked at him with gleaming eyes. "You're our new seeker!"

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, so I'm just gonna come out and say it. I'M REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY SORRY YOU GUYS! I really am! I know most of you are angry at me but I can't exactly help it okay? School takes most of our free time away, I'm sure all of you can relate to that. Especially if you experienced joining any extra activities.

And to those of you who don't believe this, well, we live in different countries. You live... somewhere on Earth... and I, live in the Philippines. It might be vacation for you guys but school starts in June here and ends in either March or April. You can search this if you want.

Again, I'm really sorry. I can't promise quick updates, but then again, I never have. I hope you'll bear with me until the next chap.

This was a long Author's Note but I just had to say those things. I'm sorry if I hurt any of you.


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